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Our services

Worldwide Immigration Solutions

You tell us where, when and why. We'll tell you how. From individuals and small local businesses to the world’s largest companies, we support all of your immigration needs, all over the world.

Business Visa Services and Technology

Advisory, Audit and Compliance Services

Movement across borders is increasingly pivotal to business operations worldwide. Along with...

Compliance Advice, Management and Audit Representation

In today's environment of heightened immigration enforcement efforts by federal and state governments, it is imperative for employers to comply strictly with all visa and employment eligibility verification regulations. Fragomen has unrivaled experience in designing and managing the visa compliance aspects of immigration programs to help employers maintain compliance with all requirements, including the I-9/E-Verify, labor condition application (LCA), and H-1B and other visa requirements.

We can conduct internal immigration program audits for clients and provide detailed analyses to employers to assess vulnerabilities and limit exposure before the government initiates an investigation. We also represent clients at every stage of a government enforcement action using our extensive experience working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Justice. This includes representation from the initial investigation to all civil and criminal litigation, where we can act as co-counsel to criminal defense attorneys, if necessary.

To help clients maintain compliance, we provide in-depth training for human resources staff and in-house legal counsel, develop internal programs and protocols, and offer resources that support client management of robust compliance programs.

Advice on the Immigration Implications of Criminal Activity

There can be severe immigration consequences for foreign nationals that have been charged with or convicted of criminal offenses. This includes deportation from the United States and temporary or permanent bars from returning to the United States in the future, unless a waiver is available. A criminal arrest or conviction history can also jeopardize an application for U.S. citizenship.

Fragomen is able to review and analyze a client’s criminal record and advise on its immigration consequences including any available waivers or other relief. Fragomen attorneys can also work directly with criminal defense counsel to ensure that plea negotiations consider potential immigration consequences.

Document Services

In partnership with other Fragomen offices worldwide, Fragomen can procure and authenticate documents where official documents need to be obtained and/or copies certified as true copies for a range of immigration applications. In providing document services for clients, we work with both U.S. authorities and foreign missions based in the United States. In addition, we can coordinate with certified translators to obtain sworn translations where these are required for immigration-related applications, and provide passport-related services including assistance with applications for new passports, to renew passports, or to add additional passport pages.

Value-added Services

Fragomen’s fixed transactional fees include a range of benefits for which other firms charge significant fees. For example, our clients have access to Fragomen’s proprietary, worldwide case management portal, which allows authorized stakeholders and assignees within their company to track cases in progress, current status, and critical expiration dates.

Immigration Services for Family Members

We provide full support to dependents involved in immigration processes in the United States. Specifically, we guide employers and their employees on the optimum immigration strategies for accompanying family members, working closely with them to prepare all required documentation for timely application processing in the United States, and to help them maintain compliance with immigration requirements in the U.S. for the duration of their stay. In addition, we assist with renewals and/or changes to dependent immigration status, and follow up with authorities on a regular basis through the application process.

Visas and Work Permits for Outbound Assignments

Fragomen can assist clients with immigration matters for both short- and long-term assignments in over 170 countries around the world. We help companies assess whether a work permit or business visitor visa is required for the traveling employee, and prepare and file necessary applications for temporary work and residence permits, entry clearances, and/or entry visas. Our Business Visa and Passport Services Group assists companies with complex and expedited business visa applications in many jurisdictions, and also provides assistance with passport applications and renewals for certain countries.

U.S. Consular Representation

We offer our clients local representation for nonimmigrant and permanent residence processing at many U.S. Embassies and U.S. Consular Posts abroad through our local Fragomen offices. We employ U.S. attorneys in our offices in many high-volume destination locations outside the U.S. Our services include:

Full consular support, including scheduling appointments, preparing visa applications, making fee payments, guidance on documentary requirements and detailed pre-interview consultations with U.S. attorneys

Expedited and VIP U.S. Consular services, where permitted

Acting as government liaison (including at preclearance locations, where possible)

Permanent Residence

We assist companies supporting employees for permanent residence (“green cards”) in all of the Employment-based green card categories, including EB-1 priority workers; EB-2 advanced degree professionals; and EB-3 professional, skilled and unskilled workers. Where the law requires a test of the U.S. labor market, we advise clients on the legally complex PERM labor certification process. Whenever possible, we help our clients to pursue immigration options that do not require labor certification, including permanent residence based on an individual’s extraordinary ability, status as an outstanding researcher or multinational manager, or impact on the U.S. national interest (national interest waiver). We also assist with petitions for permanent residence for eligible dependent family members and prepare applications for adjustment of status in the United States or visa processing abroad, including accompanying clients at personal interviews with immigration officers in the United States or at U.S. consular posts abroad, where possible and permitted.

In addition to the above, we represent individual U.S. citizens and green card holders in sponsoring their close family members for U.S. Residency. We also represent individuals that are eligible to sponsor themselves in the extraordinary ability and national interest waiver categories, as well as the green card category for G-4 Special Immigrant Retirees and Children (related to employment with international treaty organizations).

Post-Permanent Residence Guidance

Following attainment of permanent resident status, we advise employees on the retention of their status during international assignments and provide counseling if a U.S. reentry permit is necessary. We also prepare and file applications for naturalization as a U.S. citizen.

We also advise clients if and when a B-1/2 Visitor visa is appropriate for short-term travel and assignments. We manage special or complex matters, including cases for senior executives and strategies for sponsoring employees who may have unusual professional backgrounds or be employed in nontraditional jobs. We provide counsel to employers on the development of immigration strategies that address changes in laws or procedures. For example, we help employers manage the transition of recent graduates from F-1 student status to temporary employment categories while contending with the annual H-1B visa cap.

Government Strategies

Fragomen is actively and directly involved in national legislative and regulatory efforts through our Government Strategies and Compliance Group in Washington, D.C. We also have extensive involvement with the Council for Global Immigration as well as several other prominent advocacy organizations. We have a long and well-establish history of participating in legislative deliberations and we regularly advise U.S. government agencies and Congress on business immigration matters. In addition to having an impact on immigration policy through these initiatives, we maintain constant, up-to-date information regarding important decisions and proposed and pending shifts in policy.

Our Government Strategies and Compliance Group professionals work with clients on specific issues critical to their businesses in an effort to positively influence and change legislation. We also secure interpretation of regulations and policy from appropriate U.S. government agencies and liaise with regional USCIS service centers on trends in adjudication.

EB-5 Services

Fragomen has years of experience providing guidance on EB-5 regional center designations and amendments, investor visas for regional centers, and stand-alone projects. As a result, we offer our clients the highest level of EB-5 service and advice. We have been closely involved with the EB-5 program since its inception, and we are well-placed to help investors determine whether they are eligible to participate in the EB-5 program and to ensure that the program assists them in meeting their investment visa goals. Learn more.

I-9, E-Verify Technology Management

Fragomen offers a flexible, end-to-end I-9 and E-Verify software that simplifies the complexities and challenges of today's government compliance requirements, and makes a paperless environment possible.

Developed as a complement to Fragomen’s legal representation and counsel, our technology offers:

Electronic completion, signature and storage of I-9 forms to facilitate a paperless environment

Immigration-related Discrimination

While employers must be diligent in verifying the eligibility of their workforce, an overabundance of caution in the verification process—or excessive scrutiny of documents presented—can result in charges of discrimination. Guidelines to avoid violating anti-discrimination laws are essential to every company’s immigration and employment policies. Fragomen can help you strike an appropriate balance between ensuring a legal workforce and avoiding discriminatory practices, and navigate between the competing legal requirements.

E-Verify

The federal government and an increasing number of states require some or all employers to participate in E-Verify, an electronic employment eligibility program that confirms whether an employee is authorized to work in the United States.. Our attorneys work with employers to determine whether their organizations are subject to E-Verify requirements, review their internal policies and establish best practices that will protect them from exposure to liability, and maximize the efficiency of their processes for using the E-Verify system if required to do so.

I-9 Services

The burden of verifying employment eligibility currently rests on employers, and there are harsh penalties for employers who deliberately hire unauthorized workers or make inadvertent errors on the eligibility verification form, known as Form I-9. Our knowledge of the regulations related to Form I-9 and the latest trends in worksite enforcement—coupled with our ability to integrate cutting-edge technology with the verification process—help us to provide the highest quality I-9 services and representation for all clients. For more information visit our I-9 Service Center.

Work Permit and Work Authorization Services

For Businesses

Whether you are running a large multi-jurisdictional immigration program, or need assistance with immigration in a particular country or region, Fragomen can help you seamlessly manage the movement of your workforce. Designed to meet your need for comprehensive support, our full range of work permit and authorization services help to ensure process compliance with immigration regulations in more than 170 countries worldwide.

Guidance for complex cases, including advocacy before government agencies

Advice on dependent and family member visa processing, ability to work matters, student-related matters and maintenance of status

Our designated teams of experienced professionals take the time to understand your company’s business objectives, immigration goals and assignees. They communicate openly with you and your assignees throughout the immigration process, building trusted partnerships and providing holistic, customized support.

For Individuals

Even the simplest immigration requirements can be hard to understand—never mind the parameters of a multi-layered immigration scheme. If you find yourself lost in a sea of immigration regulations, Fragomen can help. We will make the complex simple as we guide you and your family through the immigration requirements of your new country. With our clear, concise and personalized support, you will understand your role in the immigration process and know exactly what you need to do to get you and your family to your new home as quickly as possible.

Fragomen Connect™

At Fragomen, we blend personalized service delivery with advanced technology to modernize and elevate immigration program management.

Our proprietary software—known as Fragomen Connect™—automates significant steps within the immigration process—reducing the opportunity for errors and creating efficiencies. Designed to support the needs of your human resources and mobility teams, as well as your employees, Fragomen Connect™ will help to ease the management of your immigration program through simple-to-use features and robust integrated tools, including:

24/7/365 real-time access to your cases from anywhere in the world

Case status, history and important dates at your fingertips

Powerful dashboards that provide snapshots of your immigration program and statistics

Sophisticated calendaring and reminders

Documents, questionnaires and forms pending action

Online document storage for materials gathered during the immigration process

Value-Added Services

At Fragomen, we know that running a streamlined immigration program requires much more than transactional immigration services. It requires strategic “big picture” guidance; information that allows you to keep up with evolving laws; training for your employees; leading-edge technologies and analytics, and much more.

While many of these services incur a fee at other immigration firms, at Fragomen, we believe that providing these types of services helps us to build strong and trusting relationships with our clients, improve the transparency of our services, and increase the value of your immigration spend.

Our value-added services include (but are not limited to):

Strategic Planning Recommendations

Strategic immigration program planning can help you meet your global mobility goals in a timely and cost-effective manner. To support this, Fragomen leverages our experience to provide you with specific ideas about strategies and practices that reduce your immigration compliance risk and offer you the greatest chance of success.

Client Alerts and Updates

We send Client Alerts and updates to notify you when significant changes in regulations, requirements, policies or procedures are anticipated or implemented worldwide. You can sign up to receive alerts automatically, or access current or past alerts via our Immigration Alerts section.

Client Training

We know that immigration is often a complicated field, and believe that true partnership involves the sharing of information. Fragomen offers our clients training on a wide range of immigration topics, as well as training on the use of our proprietary technologies for case and information management. (In some instances, extensive training may incur a fee.)

Case Management Technology

In an effort to make the complex simpler, Fragomen’s proprietary, state-of-the-art case management technology gives clients a detailed view of their case matter(s) and acts as a central resource for information transfer and document upload and storage. Whether you need to see a specific population for program management purposes or need to see a specific case matter for a foreign national and his or her dependents, our case management system is a one-stop shop for all your case and program management needs.

To keep your immigration program on-course, Fragomen provides periodic business review meetings. These meetings are designed to assess the success of Fragomen’s service delivery; review client changes to corporate goals, policies or practices that could affect their immigration program; analyze and determine potential program modifications; and discuss “big picture” strategies based on current and anticipated needs.

Investor Immigration Services

Immigration is Fragomen’s core business. This means that our clients work with experienced legal professionals who are respected as thought leaders in the field of immigration law and relied on by companies, individuals, other law firms, third party advisors and governments throughout the world.

We understand your motivations for seeking alternative citizenship and/or residency, and can provide the legal advice and superior level of service that will enable you to achieve your goals. Because Fragomen is either organized or operates as a law firm throughout the world, you can trust that we will provide you with legally sound options for secondary citizenships and/or residency.

Why consider an alternative residence or citizenship?

We recognize that there are many reasons why you may wish to seek alternative citizenship and/or residency, including:

Quality of life

Personal and family safety and security

Political, economic and social stability

Family’s future and education

Ease of travel

Culture and community

Global investment and business opportunities

Diversification of assets

Asset protection

Tax and private wealth planning and management

We will take all of your motivations into consideration and propose legally compliant solutions across different jurisdictions that will help you meet your goals.

We work closely with your third party advisors to provide a holistic approach, drawing on our established relationships with a range of services, such as tax, wealth management, finance, education, property, security and concierge services. Should you require advice beyond the realm of immigration services, we will work in partnership with these third-party providers and seamlessly coordinate all professional services surrounding your global citizenship and residency.

You will partner with a colleague that can provide the level of service your clients expect. Our global citizenship and residency offerings complement your services, and we work to ensure compliance with all local laws to minimize risk for your clients and their families.

Enjoy a premier, bespoke service. Your high net worth clients are accustomed to around-the-clock attentiveness and white glove service. Ours are too. From the moment we begin working with you, we take the time to understand the needs, wants and service expectations of your clients. Our goal is to mirror the elite caliber of service you already provide.

We focus solely on immigration, so our services complement—but do not compete with – your services. By working with Fragomen to provide your clients with the immigration advice they need, we act as an extension of your organization, creating a positive and symbiotic relationship that enhances the breadth of client service for both organizations.

We provide legal advice that is clear, on-point, practical and, above all, trustworthy. We partner with you to determine processes and protocols for immigration service delivery that best suit your needs and those of your clients.

As a law firm, compliance is the cornerstone of our services, and we share the exceedingly high compliance standards required of international service providers. We know that you and your clients are focused on remaining compliant with laws around the world. We guarantee that the immigration advice that we provide will be primarily focused on compliance with each country’s laws and requirements.

Immigration Program Structure and Support

Many successful companies operating in the international business landscape share a common element—they have partnered with Fragomen to develop strategic, world-class international immigration programs. Fragomen helps you structure your immigration program to reflect your unique corporate preferences, policies and practices, and take advantage of processing and cost efficiencies.

We partner with you every step of the way as you grow and evolve, making adjustments where needed and introducing new opportunities and technologies to support the immigration aspects of your assignees’ relocation or travel.

Program management support includes:

Immigration policy and program design assistance, or refining your existing policies and procedures

Immigration Knowledge Services and Technology

Knowledge Management Advice

Immigration requirements can change at lightning speed, and keeping up with these changes can be challenging. We empower our clients by acting as their knowledge center for immigration-related information.

Our dedicated Global Knowledge resources—including immigration professionals around the world—identify the issues most critical to our clients, and maintain a database of changes to immigration requirements to support our client account teams.

This broad and up-to-date knowledge allows our client teams to provide you with the best available strategies for success, and alert you when issues might affect your immigration program or foreign national assignees.

Fragomen's Global Knowledge Team has also developed communications, systems and processes to educate clients on local and global processes, procedures and policies.

Government Strategies

Working with governments—whether it is to file an application, resolve an incorrect application of laws, or advocate for benefits on behalf of your company—can be time consuming, confusing and overwhelming for you and your employees. Fragomen leverages our experience working with and advising government immigration authorities worldwide to appropriately make your government processes smoother, simpler and manageable, where possible.

Several of our top immigration professionals have held important immigration-related government positions in the past. This knowledge allows us to give you a bird’s-eye view of the complexities and solutions available to you, and helps us to work cohesively with government authorities to advocate on your behalf and help you to face your challenges and achieve your goals.

Employment Verification Services and Technologies

Remaining in compliance with requirements for verifying employment eligibility is paramount. Employers who violate these laws are subject to significant civil fines and penalties, along with public relations issues and interruptions to day-to-day business operations in the event of an audit. Flawed processes, inadequate record retention procedures, and errors and omissions can heighten your risk.

To help employers meet these requirements, Fragomen has developed comprehensive service models that range from guidance and training on all aspects of employment verification compliance to advanced, web-based solutions. Our professionals around the globe understand country-specific requirements and best practices for implementing and maintaining a sound program.

Our services include:

Guidance on employment verification compliance and best practices

Process, procedure and policy review and development

Preventative employment verification audit and review

Training for human resources professionals and teams

Customized program design, management and support

Representation in the case of government visits and investigations

Sophisticated, online software solutions that automate process compliance and help protect you from risk

Not only are reporting requirements for companies that sponsor staff on subclass 457 visas time sensitive, but noncompliance can impact the ability to sponsor expatriates in the future. Employer obligations continue well beyond the departure of sponsored staff, and violations can lead to extensive financial penalties, administrative sanctions, business interruptions and reputational damage.

Fragomen’s visaOntrack® tool assists Australia-based companies with reporting and record keeping obligations to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP). This proprietary, web-based software is tailored to complement business immigration compliance and risk management strategies. Human resource and mobility teams can securely access subclass 457 visa records at all times and extract detailed reporting and statistics to effectively manage sponsored employments.

Features include:

Dedicated portal that captures all key information required by DIBP

Compliance with DIBP information retention, reporting and record keeping requirements

Notification of events related to a sponsored worker or business

On demand access to records and supporting documents for ongoing management or in the event of an audit

Online notifications to Fragomen of events relating to your business and expatriate staff

Employers in the United Kingdom can be fined up to £20,000 per person for employing illegal workers. Complying with the updated requirements of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act of 2006 is imperative to avoid penalties and manage risks.

Fragomen provides a full range of Points Based System (PBS) compliance services and resources, and understands the common mistakes and pitfalls employers face in maintaining employment verification compliance. From this, we developed our Employment Verification Tool (or EVT). This easy-to-use, online tool streamlines and automates the process of determining an individual’s immigration status prior to employment. It is designed to help simplify the process of checking a new employee’s entitlement to work in the United Kingdom, while imposing automated process compliance. Both employees and human resource staff utilize the system to streamline the process of document verification.

Features include:

End-to-end employee and employer verification process for new employees

Annual work status checks for applicable employees

Online document upload and storage

Searchable database of verifications to assist in the case of a government audit

Document Services

The procurement and authentication of documents is a requirement for immigration processes in many countries. In many jurisdictions, the evidentiary requirements of the application process can be lengthy, complex and difficult to coordinate. In today’s global business environment, an individual can often have documents that have been issued in multiple countries around the world. Due to these and other factors, document procurement, authentication and legalization can potentially delay work permit and visa processes.

Fragomen’s experienced team of worldwide document services professionals are adept at navigating the nuances of these requirements and plotting the optimal course of action to keep application processes on track.

Our Document Services Team can help you secure documents from government agencies and law enforcement authorities from a wide range of countries. They take a centralized and proactive approach, utilizing strategic planning to bolster organization and streamline processes for success.

Our document services include:

Obtaining vital records, academic records, criminal history reports, and assignment documents for applicants and their family members

Obtaining or authenticating corporate documents, including powers of attorney, technical services agreements, certificates of good standing and incorporation certificates

Consular Services

Full service immigration support is not as simple as merely preparing the proper documentation. At Fragomen, we understand that consulates, embassies and other diplomatic posts worldwide are integral to immigration processes for many travelers and their families. We also understand that the experience of interacting with officials at diplomatic posts can be overwhelming.

Our dedicated Consular team members and Local Advisor partners can help to alleviate these concerns by providing instructions and services supporting consular processes and requirements. This covers assistance for short term business travel visas and other consular or related matters filed in embassies, consulates and high commissions.

In countries where we have offices, and in certain other locations through our Local Advisors, we offer consular support including some or all of the following:

Business Visa Services and Technology

Business travel globally is fraught with risk. If you don’t have the correct visa, you can be denied entry to or exit from your desired destination and your business trip will be ruined. Fragomen’s worldwide presence and resources give us unfettered access to current information on the latest developments in business visa rules and policies in critical business markets. We use this knowledge to help clients comply with ever-changing business visa requirements around the world, and avoid costly mistakes.

Recognizing the critical nature of this unique area of immigration and the risks associated with noncompliance, Fragomen has a dedicated Business Visa Services Group made up of professionals around the world who are particularly well-placed to meet clients’ business visa needs. This group provides guidance and immigration support to companies and their employees in anticipation of and during the business visa application process. We also offer a proprietary and entirely unique technology for determining if and when a business visa is appropriate.

Business Visa Services

In all countries where we have offices, and in certain other locations through our Local Advisors, we offer business visa services and support.

These include:

Up-front assessment of whether a business visitor visa or work permit is required, and strategic planning

Preparation of business visa application support letters

Advice on process requirements and related time frames

Document procurement and authentication support

Submission of applications or detailed submission guidance, where in-person filing is required by the traveler

Follow-up with appropriate government agency and passport collection

Guidance on anticipated processing times (where available)

Emergency assistance for urgent applications

Passport Services

Fragomen provides instructions on process requirements and assistance with passport applications in select locations, including preparation of first-time applications; renewals; page additions; amendments; replacement of lost or stolen passports; and second passports for frequent business travelers (for certain nationals).

Business Visa Matrix

Fragomen’s proprietary Business Visa Matrix is a powerful business planning and immigration compliance tool that assesses whether a traveling employee can lawfully carry out their intended activities on a business visitor visa in the country they will be visiting, or whether they will require work authorization. Accessible online, this system provides guidance on immigration requirements in over 110 destination countries across more than 160 nationalities.

Advisory, Audit and Compliance Services

M&A, Large Scale Projects, Back to Back Rotational Assignments

With an intensifying regulatory environment, businesses involved in corporate restructuring activities, large scale projects, back-to-back rotational assignments and exports face a unique set of challenges and compliance roadblocks in the cross-border movement of workers. Fragomen provides guidance and support to companies of all sizes on the immigration impact of these complex ventures. We act as a strategic partner to help you execute project needs through compliant—yet practical—immigration solutions.

M&As and Corporate Restructuring

Analysis during mergers and acquisitions (M&A), divestures and other types of corporate restructuring activities are typically focused on the “big-picture” and mitigating financial risks—often overlooking the critical area of immigration compliance. Corporate changes without adequate consideration of immigration impacts can lead to serious repercussions for essential employees and the success of the merger.

Fragomen has been helping businesses navigate the immigration-related aspects of corporate activities for decades. Our due diligence investigations include a thorough immigration status analysis, impact determination and management of necessary immigration activities.

Project Support

Large scale projects around the world often require the simultaneous movement of dozens to hundreds of employees, presenting different challenges based on the number of employees, their roles and credentials, and the countries involved.

We can work closely with you on project undertakings to provide guidance on maintaining compliance with local immigration processes regulations. In partnership with you, we can build custom action plans in line with your priorities and targets, helping you to stay on track and achieve your project goals.

Rotational and Back-to-Back Assignments

The use of short-term assignments such as rotational and multiple or back-to-back assignments continues to rise. In reaction, many countries have tightened their programs and implemented heavy penalties for immigration violations. While helping to control costs and build your global operations, the rapid deployment of employees to foreign countries can create myriad compliance concerns.

We help hundreds of companies around the world manage the immigration risk associated with short-term cross-border travel. We can help you understand the intricacies and challenges, and guide you on proactive strategies for avoiding common pitfalls and incorporating compliance into your overall plan.